Start your story with a character being followed.

Posted in Dramatic on Sep 16, 2024

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“The Villain ” by Elly Echeva

Submitted to Contest #252

Few years ago, I had a filling done. The dentist did a great job, except for one thing: he didn’t file down the edge of my tooth. It was not a big deal, it wouldn’t cut me or anything, but I could feel it whenever I ran my tongue across the surface. It was then when I realized it: I was a predator. A carnivore. A beast that’d been asleep, a beast that hadn’t realized how sharp her teeth were and what they were meant to be sharp for. Or who.I hold my coffee cup - its warmth always brings me a false sense of comfort, a soothing feeling th...

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“Prey” by William Simon

Submitted to Contest #252

She could feel his eyes on her. Could feel them boring into her unabashedly. That ill-defined sense of being watched, of being observed, presumably gifted to us at the expense of so many mangled and surprised primates in our primitive past. That sense was so strong she felt like she could hear it screech like a kettle on the boil. The train continued its vibrating amble around an easy arcing bend as the rain continued to slide down the windows. It was already dark outside and the street lights, shops and headlights blurre...

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“Whispers in the Shadows” by Kaite C

Submitted to Contest #252

Emily Daniels walked briskly through the dimly lit streets of her neighborhood, clutching her bag tightly to her side. The cold night air bit at her cheeks, but it was the sense of unease that quickened her pace. She couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her.It had started a few weeks ago. Emily would catch glimpses of a figure out of the corner of her eye, always too far away to make out any details. She had tried to convince herself it was just her imagination, but the feeling of being watched grew stronger each night.Tonigh...

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“They Are Out to Get Me” by Robert Radcliff

Submitted to Contest #252

Last night, I hardly got any sleep. It was earlier that day that I became aware that I was being observed as I was working out at my neighborhood gym club. Not watching me in a blatant manner. But in order to keep an eye on me, they are employing secretive tactics. A few fleeting glances in the wall mirrors looking at me. Sly looks at me when they believe I am unaware of what is happening. Yet they seem under the impression that I do not know of their surveillance about them checking my whereabouts. Haha, ha-ha, I am not someone wh...

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“Black Dog” by Micah Pirikisi

Submitted to Contest #252

**Triggers: Physical Violence, Strong Language, and Mental Health.**"I'd win," I'd told them. "You see these scars on my face and my arms? These medals carved into my flesh? I lose to nothing. I give in to nothing. I'd win."Then, I downed my third glass of whiskey. You see, I'd the notion of proving my sturdiness by bringing in this bounty in the dark of night with my eyes crossed. Didn’t think I was using it to cover anything up...“I’m not the green boy I was back then; despair has forgotten the taste of my soul. I’m tougher than my father ...

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“Love at First Sight” by Christian Deery

Submitted to Contest #252

By ‘Negrills’ jerk chicken shop, in the recently developed Jamaicatown district of New York, I walked past a girl who was at least partly passable as ‘The one.’ Everything in Jamaicatown is symmetrical and bright. The color red pops like the poppy fields of Afghanistan. Everything is designed to look old and a little battered. I like it here because it’s quiet. No startling traffic, nothing alarming.This girl, there was nothing extraordinary about her. Her auburn hair was tousled, and hung longer on one side. She smoked with subtle inhalatio...

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“You Can Always Pray” by S.C Sanborn

Submitted to Contest #252

The weather was beautiful, sunny, and there was a slight breeze, so there was absolutely zero chance that I would be headed to the beach that day. That was the thing about living in a beach town. When tourist season hit, everything awesome about living near the ocean was negated by the onrush of the summertime hordes. So instead of heading south to the bleached white sands, my dog and I were headed north, to the bar. Traffic in this direction was no better. The town was simply never meant to contain this many people. Adding a ferry to ...

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“Dear April” by Melodie Fierro

Submitted to Contest #252

As she walked down Halsey Street, she couldn't help but feel that someone was watching her. She kept getting that prickly feeling that someone's gaze was burning the back of her neck. She heard the sound of heavy footsteps on the cobblestones and immediately, her worst fear was confirmed. Someone was following her. April Richmond had never been careless. But tonight, she wished she had paid just the slightest bit of attention to her surroundings. As she turned around, she saw him. A hooded figure walking behind her. He was careful. Spe...

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“Fateful Night in Akron” by TC Cook

Submitted to Contest #252

The moon is high, the crisp autumn air bracing as it meanders through the, now still, streets of Akron. No cars on the road, just the subtle sounds of wind whistling down the pavement, giving the street a very calming sense of undisturbed peacefulness. Most everyone has already turned in for the evening and drifted off to sleep, ready to resume their lives in the morning. Scattered bits of light spilled into the street from a few windows, indicating some night owls were still awake. The rain drying on asphalt from the recent drizzle formed a...

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“Sunshine State” by Grace Mcnabola

Submitted to Contest #252

Sunshine StateBy Grace McNabola The car arrived bang on 6 a.m. as agreed. I looked out the window and saw it pull up at the kerb. It was black with tinted windows. I couldn't see the make or registration. I had one last look around my flat and turned out the light. My heart was thumping as I got into the lift. The only luggage I had was a shoulder bag and a small suitcase on wheels. It wasn't adequate for all my things but I didn't need much, I would be buying lots of new clothes when I got there. At any other time that would ha...

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“Mr. Fluffy” by Steven Shroyer

Submitted to Contest #252

Warning: This story involves a mother who has just murdered her child and is loosely inspired by a real person who has committed such crimes.“Squeaky. Squeaky.” Jessie Bair turned around and looked behind her. Her daughter’s teddy was sitting on the floor in front of the linen closet. She rubbed her eyes, moving her fingers to her temples massaging them before turning around and heading back down the hall to the stairway. She was obviously a wreck. Her mind was definitely imaging the sound of the plastic squeaker in the teddy bear’s fe...

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“Following Me” by Joy Watts

Submitted to Contest #252

Allen was on his way home at dusk from the grocery store. He started to notice that it seemed someone was following him. The head lights were beaming into his center rear view mirror and side mirrors. He lives in a neighborhood with winding streets and hills. He made a right on Grove Street, and the car kept following him, then he made a left on Spruce Street, and still the same head lights were projecting on to the rear-view mirror.Allen starts to get paranoid thinking who is following me, so he decides to take an alternate route within the...

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“The Touch of Fate” by Megan Chapman

Submitted to Contest #252

21/05/087Dear DiaryIt’s finally happened. My own personal Fate has graced me with her presence. She’s currently 5 metres away, looking like that classic humanoid haze everyone describes. I can’t actually tell if she’s a woman or not, I suppose fate doesn’t really have a gender, but I figure it makes the whole thing a little less terrifying if I can just pretend she’s one of the girls. Maybe I’ll name her, something non-threatening like Alice or Lilly. I’ll have to think about it.Obviously, the first thing I did when she appeared was cal...

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“The Cloaked Figure” by Maggie Brown

Submitted to Contest #252

I am leaving the coffee shop on the corner of Central Street, after having my typical matcha tea latte, when I realize I am being followed. In a city as big as mine, I often find I don't pay attention to those around me, but I have made three turns now and this person is still trailing me. What are the odds we're both going to the same place? My pace is much quicker than his, and I have only caught glances of him in my peripheral vision as I have turned street corners. He appears to be wearing a cloak of some sort with a hat turned down over...

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“Well Out of It” by Hugh Knight

Submitted to Contest #252

I clenched the bird feed, quickened my pace. The fog was thick, enough that the streetlights flickered to life at 1:00pm, turning the pavement ghostly-white. Just one other person was here, and there were no cars to shake away the silence. It wasn't the kind of day for going out – that meant fewer crumbs for the pigeons if I hadn’t come. It was also because it was so quiet that the man fifty meters behind me was as obvious as he was. He wore bulky black sunglasses that covered half his face. Was he trying to be noticed? I'd followed all the ...

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Start your story with a character being followed.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 100 stories

“The Villain ” by Elly Echeva

“Prey” by William Simon

“Whispers in the Shadows” by Kaite C

“They Are Out to Get Me” by Robert Radcliff

“Black Dog” by Micah Pirikisi

“Love at First Sight” by Christian Deery

“You Can Always Pray” by S.C Sanborn

“Dear April” by Melodie Fierro

“Fateful Night in Akron” by TC Cook

“Sunshine State” by Grace Mcnabola

“Mr. Fluffy” by Steven Shroyer

“Following Me” by Joy Watts

“The Touch of Fate” by Megan Chapman

“The Cloaked Figure” by Maggie Brown

“Well Out of It” by Hugh Knight

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character who struggles to do the right thing.

Write a story in which one of the characters is a narcissist.

Make a character’s obsession or addiction an important element of your story.

Write a story that includes someone saying, “Be careful what you wish for.”

Contest #252

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

360

Contest entries

143

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

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